Stefanus Nashama
The Landless People’s Movement (LPM) has criticised education minister Anna Nghipondoka for her recent call to educators to “think outside the box” to improve learners’ performance despite the challenges of a lack of classrooms and overcrowding.
The LPM’s spokesperson, Lifalaza Simataa, in a statement last week, said the minister’s remarks lack innovation.
“The minister’s approach, ironically, lacks innovation, and she fails to ‘think outside’ the box,” as she echoes the same sentiments expressed by the minister of education in 2017. Similar sentiments place immense pressure on under-resourced teachers, with zero accountability for the failures of the ministry,” Simataa stated.
He claimed Nghipondoka is recycling old concepts that do not match the solutions needed.
Nghipondoka made the remarks during a regional engagement meeting with principals and heads of departments earlier this month at Rundu.
“No one will say these children are failing because we do not have enough classrooms, or the classrooms are overcrowded, inspectors don’t even come to schools, or education officers don’t have classes to go to. People will expect teachers to teach children to pass and principals to lead their schools effectively. There are no excuses.”
“Challenges should teach us to think outside the box. They should propel us to be innovative and take initiative. Challenges should bring us closer together, allowing us to analyse them and take action,” she said.
Simataa encouraged the minister and ministry to not only have strict expectations for educators, but also to provide solutions to issues, updates, and development.
He said that no noteworthy progress has occurred since the initial utterances in 2017.
“The ministry must be proactive. In the case of a lack of classrooms and overcrowding, the ministry needs to begin by understanding the problem to identify possible avenues to address the factors leading to poor grades in schools,” he said.
Simataa further advised the ministry to collaborate with the Ministry of International Relations to secure funding and establish joint ventures with various countries.
This, he said, would allow for the exploration of how other nations have overcome the issue of a lack of classrooms.
He further urged the ministry to seek partners and sponsors willing to build or upgrade schools across the country.
“To bridge the gap between the government and the community and foster greater involvement, the ministry could encourage private institutions to support its goals,” said Simataa.
“Alternatively, the community could be motivated to open more schools locally to help meet the demand,” he added.
At the same time, Simataa asked the ministry to reflect on and adjust its approach, both in terms of budget and mandate, regarding its existence.
Since 2016, employment costs have accounted for 76% of the ministry’s budget, while development costs have never exceeded 7.1%.
In terms of education projects, secondary education has received between 28 percent and 29.6 percent of the budget from 2016 to the present.
“It is vital that we examine this budget breakdown closely. How much more funding is needed to effectively address the shortages of teachers, classrooms, and overcrowding?” he questioned.
He proposed that the ministry should determine how much additional funding it requires to overcome such challenges.
He added that the budget should be streamlined by identifying and reducing expenditures on unnecessary areas.
“The high failure rates among students reflect the inadequacies of the current curriculum, which appears to have failed or been a non-starter in addressing Namibia’s educational needs, as 76 percent of pupils failed to advance to university or Grade 12,” he stressed.
